A valet parking method is to be understood here specifically as a method in which a driver of a vehicle is able to drop it off at a predetermined drop-off location, whereupon the vehicle is parked in automated fashion or by service personnel and is provided to the driver again upon request or appointment. The present invention deals especially with a valet parking method, in which vehicles are parked by an automatic system. In this context, the vehicles move without the assistance of a human driver to an assigned parking space and back again to a pick-up location.
The German Patent No. DE 10 2012 222 562 describes a system for managed parking lots, what is referred to as a valet parking system, for transferring a vehicle from a start position to a destination position. Provided in that case are a stationary central processing unit for calculating a path of motion, along which the vehicle moves autonomously to the destination position, and a transmitting device for transmitting the path of motion to the vehicle. The central processing unit is designed to generate speed-control signals and to deliver them to the transmitting device for transmission to the vehicle, so that the vehicle, controlled by the speed-control signals, is able to move along the path of motion to the destination position.
U.S. Patent Appl. Pub. No. 2010/0156672 A1 describes a system for automatic valet parking. The system includes a central control, vehicle-guide sensors and parking-space sensors. Through the parking-space sensors, the central control knows the state of occupancy of any given parking space. Arriving vehicles are assigned a parking space, and the central control determines a path of motion to this parking space. Position and movement of vehicles are detected by the vehicle-guide sensors and transmitted, together with the data about the path of motion, to the vehicle, so that it is able to follow the path autonomously. Further data may be used in selecting the parking space, such as the average stay of the respective vehicle. For example, vehicles with a short stay may be parked closer to the exits.
German Patent No. DE 10 2009 046 912 A1 describes a method in which a vehicle at a start position is informed of a trajectory which guides the vehicle to a free parking space. In addition, markings by which the vehicle is able to follow the trajectory are provided on the traffic areas. Central monitoring of the positions of all vehicles, as well as a central control of the vehicles are not provided.
German Patent No. DE 10 2009 054 292 A1 relates to a parking guidance system which dispenses with a central sensor system. The localization systems and surround sensors available in the vehicles are used to determine the situation in the parking area.
German Patent No. DE 10 2009 048 516 A1 describes a parking guidance system having sensors for detecting the parking situation, and variable parking-space markings. The system determines the number and size of the vehicles and distinguishes at least between passenger cars and trucks. With the aid of variable parking-space markings, the system is able to improve the capacity utilization of the parking area by individually adjusting the number of parking places designated for passenger cars and trucks.
In those conventional valet parking systems, in which stationary sensors are employed to monitor the current state of occupancy of the parking area and/or the present positions of the autonomously parking or waiting vehicles, the problem exists that the field of view of these sensors may be restricted by inconveniently parked vehicles, especially very large or high vehicles, or by spatial structural conditions of the parking area such as columns, for example. Therefore, there may no longer be sufficient information available to a central control system of the valet parking system in order to ideally utilize the parking area available or to ensure that the autonomously moving vehicles are brought safely to their assigned parking spaces and/or to a pick-up area. To solve this problem, for example, conventional systems use a great number of sensors, so that, for instance, each individual parking space or two opposite parking spaces are in each case monitored by one sensor. These design approaches are complex and cost-intensive.